Puppet MastersS


Black Cat

Pseudo-leftists try to explain the failure of the 'Syrian Revolution'

Prof. Tim Anderson
Global Research
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 15:37 UTC
syria army SAA
Some western "Liberals" and "Leftists" pay homage to Yassin al-Haj Saleh, an intellectual leftist of the 'Syrian Revolution'. In fact Saleh represented only a tiny part of Syria's left. He was 'persecuted' because he aligned himself with the 1980 and 2011 bloody uprisings by the sectarian Muslim Brotherhood, and their international Salafist (al Qaeda) supporters. In the end he had to flee for his life from those same sectarian terrorists.

With popular forces in Syria and Iraq destroying the globalised sectarian jihadist mercenaries - sponsored principally by Washington and the Saudis - some ideologues in colonial cultures still keep alive the romantic idea of a 'Syrian Revolution', that somehow tragically failed. This is also a myth propagated by the Muslim Brotherhood and their western sponsors, to cover an otherwise naked aggression against Syria.

It is a myth that matters much less now, as such propaganda no longer has the capacity to fuel deeper NATO intervention in Syria. Yet it seems important for the self-image of small groups of western pseudo-leftists, who committed themselves to the cause of 'red-washing' Washington's latest war of aggression, backed by the most reactionary forces in the region.
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Blackbox

Why are Britons being arrested in Iran?


RT
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 12:08 UTC
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
© AFP/ Free Nazanin campaignNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been jailed in Iran, along with three other Britons with dual nationality
Iran detained a number of UK citizens because it holds a grudge against the prime minister, it has been claimed. The news comes as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tries to engineer the release of British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from an Iranian jail.

Johnson's recent blunder over the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe case has highlighted the plight of UK citizens who have been jailed under dubious charges. The foreign secretary may have added five more years to Zaghari-Ratcliffe's prison sentence after wrongly telling a select committee hearing she had been teaching journalism in Iran.


Comment: See:

Zaghari-Ratcliffe has always maintained she was merely on holiday introducing her daughter to her Iranian relatives. The mother-of-one was detained on arrival at Tehran Airport on April 3, 2016, accused of producing "propaganda against the state."
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Handcuffs

Hungary will veto EU sanctions against Poland calling it "shameful and scandalous"


Westmonster
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 12:00 UTC
hungary poland orban
Hungary has announced it will veto any plans to take away Poland's voting rights in the European Parliament, saying the resolution is "out of the question".

Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén has called the proposed invocation of Article 7 against Poland "shameful and scandalous".

"The Hungarian government stands by Poland and the adoption of such a resolution is out of the question," he said.

The motion to begin removing Poland's voting rights passed earlier this week by 438 votes to 152.

Polish MEP Ryszard Legutko stormed out of the chamber, branding it an "Orwellian show" and "a show of strength against the Poles..."

Comment: Something is afoot in Poland; Poles don't seem to be interested in appeasing their eurocrat masters while those in Brussels are going on the offensive with sanctions and smears:

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Dollars

'Just a friend': How Bob Menendez's 'friends' helped him avoid a jail sentence

Phil Kerpen
New York Post
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 04:09 UTC
Bob Menendez
New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez
"Gifts to cultivate friendship are not bribes," Abbe Lowell said in his closing in defense of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez - and enough jurors agreed to result in a hung jury and a mistrial.

The Biz Markie defense - he's just a friend - worked. Lowell was worth every penny of the $4.5 million raised and spent by Menendez's legal defense trust.

But the hung jury doesn't change the facts:

Menendez's co-defendant Salomon Melgen left the courtroom and went back to jail, where he is awaiting sentencing on 67 counts of Medicare fraud.

Menendez enjoyed ready access to Melgen's private jets and luxury resorts financed by that Medicare fraud - and the New Jersey senator went all the way up the chain to the secretary of health and human services to keep the money flowing.

Comment: Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in Menendez bribery case

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Propaganda

Are Facebook and Twitter complying with US govt strategy against Russian media to ensure prime access to new 'Ministry of Truth'?

Edward Rhymes
telesur
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 00:00 UTC
Government propaganda, alternative media censorship
© ReutersPropaganda is what the government and its acolytes say it is, creating dangerous times for independent and alternative media.
The vehemence with which Twitter and Facebook are going after RT, is not based upon any democratic altruism or "noble" patriotism.

There's a new Red Scare sweeping the land folks; a neo-McCarthyism that's taken hold of those in government - or rather a desire to scapegoat another country in light of a tremendous Dem loss last November.

This RMG broadcast from December of 2016 explains the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act that was part of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, that President Obama signed into law on Christmas Eve of last year. It allows a kind of Ministry of Truth to be established by the State Department, in conjunction with the Department of Defense.

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Umbrella

Moscow, Beijing save Venezuela from the attack of US financial vultures

Ivan Danillov
Ria Novosti
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 08:30 UTC
oil rig guy russian flag
© AP/Fernando Llano
Restructuring of the public debt of Venezuela, which was agreed by the Russian Ministry of Finance, caused a predictably negative reaction from the public. The memory of the bad loans and other "fraternal aid" handed out by the leadership of the USSR is too alive. However, in this case, even if you look at the situation with the Venezuelan debt through the eyes of a cynical financier, Moscow's actions are nothing like charity. If the Russian-Chinese strategy is concisely formulated in the Venezuelan direction, a simple mathematical calculation will be obtained: in order for the country with the world's largest oil reserves not to fall into the clutches of Washington or the IMF (which in this case is the same), it is worth postponing the payment of its debts for several years. The rates in the Venezuelan party far exceed the amount of deferred interest payments.

If you call things by their own names, then Venezuela is now subject to a raider attack, which involves bringing the country to a state of artificial bankruptcy. It is worth emphasizing the artificiality and the political nature of the problems that Caracas faced, since this explains the desire of Moscow and Beijing to take the shoulder of the Maduro government, instead of bringing the country to default to the joy of the US State Department.

Comment: Smart business benefits both sides of the bargain long after the deal is struck. Unfortunately, the US is run by greedy conglomerates assisted by over-arching political agendas and short-sighted politicians who will kill the prize to own it.

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Snakes in Suits

Beijing and Manila to solve South China Sea dispute diplomatically with words not wars


Sputnik
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 23:45 UTC
Duterte/Xi
© REUTERS/ Etienne OliveauPresident Duterte • General Secretary Xi Jinping
To mark their improving relations China and The Philippines have inked a series of agreements strengthening diplomatic and economic ties - including one to avoid any military conflict in the disputed South China Sea, once a flashpoint between the two nations.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the right hand man of General Secretary Xi Jinping, met with the ever-controversial President of The Philippines Rodrigo Duterte at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Pasay, Philippines.

The two men shook hands and issued a joint statement that both nations should focus on resolving their territorial conflicts in the South China Sea by dialogue, not force. "Both sides believe that the maritime dispute is not the full sum of the China-Philippines relationship," the statement said. "Both sides also reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting regional peace and stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the South China Sea as well as freedom of commerce and other peaceful uses."

Both sides agreed to work harder "to manage and prevent incidents at sea, enhance maritime dialogue and cooperation, and pursue a stable growth of bilateral relations. Both sides agree to strengthen maritime cooperation in areas such as marine environmental protection, disaster risk reduction, including possible cooperation in marine scientific research, subject to further consultations."

Duterte issued a statement of his own, discussing the "improving relations between ASEAN and China" when it came to issues in the South China Sea. "In view of this positive momentum, we looked forward to the announcement of the start of substantive negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) with China," Duterte said, hopefully sometime in 2018.

Comment: China is becoming the more sought-after 'ally with benefits'.

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Attention

US and Russia warn of terror threat in Europe between Christmas and New Year


Yahoo
Sat, 18 Nov 2017 20:13 UTC
People at airport
© AFP/CHIP SOMODEVILLACiting last year's terrorist attacks in Berlin around Christmastime and Istanbul on New Year's Eve, the latest US advice warns citizens headed for Europe to stay alert this holiday season
The United States on Thursday updated its advice to travellers heading for Europe, warning of an increased terrorist threat over the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

Washington has a long-standing warning to its citizens to beware extremist attacks in European cities, and in recent years it has expressly warned of dangers at festive events.

"Last year, mass casualty attacks occurred at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany in December and a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey on New Year's Eve," the latest warning noted.

Comment: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has warned Russian citizens of the possibility of terrorist attacks in large European and American cities during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that during the period from December 20 to January 20, in Europe and the United States, there is an increased likelihood of terrorist attacks in large cities.


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Newspaper

Zimbabwe's President makes first public speech since alleged coup

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 18:29 UTC
Robert Mugabe
It appears that Robert Mugabe remains Africa’s ultimate political survivor.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has made his first public appears since Army tanks drove through the streets of the capital and made a statement on national television stating that they intend to bring criminals to justice who have surrounded the President.

While it later emerged that Mugabe was under house arrest, yesterday he was pictured in a meeting with military leaders and today he made a public appearance at a graduation ceremony at the Open University of Harare.

Mugabe made a short apolitical speech and led the crowd in the national anthem. He was received with warm applause by the university students.

Comment: End of the road for Robert Mugabe? Military tanks on streets of Harare - China denies involvement in apparent Zimbabwe coup

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Chess

German FM suggests Saad Hariri was detained - Saudi Arabia recalls ambassador from Berlin

Paul Antonopoulos
Fort Russ News
Sat, 18 Nov 2017 19:50 UTC
German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel
German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel
Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador to Germany.

This move was made in response to comments by German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel suggesting that Saudi Arabia has detained Saad Hariri.

The German foreign ministry quoted Gabriel on its website as telling his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil "Germany stands firmly by Lebanon's side". He reportedly added: "Another trouble spot is the last thing that people in the Middle East need now."

Comment: See also:

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